Methods and systems for thermal forming an object

ABSTRACT

A method and system for thermal forming an object. A mold is provided, a shape of which corresponds to a desired shape of the object. A material is inserted into a heating area, and the material is heated using a plurality of independently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of the material. The heated material is then disposed over or into at least a portion of the mold so as to deform the material. The deformed material may then be trimmed so as to form the object.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/475,212, filed on Apr. 13, 2011, which isincorporated by reference into this application in its entirety for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and systems for thermal formingan object. More specifically, the present invention relates to methodsand systems for selectively heating a material to be disposed over orinto a mold.

Various techniques for thermal forming objects are currently used in theart. These include thin-gauge thermal forming techniques, where thinsheets or films (usually having a thickness of less than 0.6 inches) ofplastic are used to form relatively portable objects such as dishware,food packaging products, plastic blisters for packaging ofpharmaceutical products, and the like. These also include thick-gaugethermal forming techniques, where thicker sheets (usually having athickness greater than 1.2 inches) of plastic are used to formrelatively bulky objects, such as cosmetic surfaces on automobiles,medical equipment, kitchen appliances, and the like.

In many techniques, the sheeted plastic material is first heated, andthen formed into the shape of the desired object using a mold. Heatingis typically done with a single unit including one or more heatingcoils. Numerous problems arise with uneven distributions of heat in manyexisting systems. In the case of a single heating coil, portions of theplastic located under the heating coil are heated to a much greaterextent than portions of the plastic located away from the heating coil.In the case of multiple heating coils, portions of plastic located underthe heating coils are heated to a greater extent than portions of theplastic located between heating coils.

Uneven heat distributions cause various problems in the thermal formingprocess. For example, the malleability of the heated plastic varies,resulting in inaccurate forming over a mold. For another example,portions of the heated plastic may be heated too much so as to provide adesired average heat and thus malleability to form the plastic over themold, where the overheating causes deformations, weaknesses, etc. in theplastic composition. In applications which require high precision molds,such as in the formation of dental appliances that must accuratelyconform to a mold within a tolerance of mere micrometers, these problemscreate significant burdens and inefficiencies in the thermal formingprocess, and potentially deficiencies in product effectiveness.

Further, existing techniques do not take into consideration changes ordifferences in plastic and/or molds. That is, the same heating coils andamount of heat is produced even if the plastic sheets (or molds)provided at the input are changed (to be thicker or thinner) for formingdifferent objects. In this case, suboptimal heating is performed on thesubsequent sheets, resulting again in inefficiencies and productexpansion limitations.

Accordingly, it is desirable to overcome such deficiencies so as toimprove the quality of objects that are formed by thermal forming,increase the efficiency of manufacturing objects via thermal forming,reduce the amount of waste generated by current thermal forming systemsand processes, and increase the number of applications for which asingle thermal forming system may be used.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods, systems, and apparatus's forthermal forming an object by selectively heating a material to bedisposed over or into a mold.

In one embodiment, a method, system, or apparatus for thermal forming anobject is provided. The method can include providing a mold, forexample, operatively coupled within a vacuum chamber. A material (e.g.,plastic) may then be inserted into a heating area and heated using aplurality of independently controllable heat sources that heat differentareas of the material. By independent control of the heat sourcesheating different areas, heating of the material can be improved orbetter tailored so as to, e.g., ensure better or more even distributionof heat across the entire material. The heated material may be disposedover or into at least a portion of the mold by, for example, creating avacuum in the vacuum chamber.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of embodimentsof the present invention, reference should be made to the ensuingdetailed description and accompanying drawings. Other aspects, objectsand advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings anddetailed description that follows. However, the scope of the inventionwill be fully apparent from the recitations of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system for thermal forming an object according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a simplified heating element accordingto a first embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the simplified heating element shown in FIG.2A.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a simplified heating element accordingto a second embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the simplified heating element shown in FIG.3A.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a simplified heating element accordingto a third embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the simplified heating element shown in FIG.4A.

FIG. 5A shows heated portions of a material according to a firstembodiment.

FIG. 5B shows heated portions of a material according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 5C shows heated portions of a material according to a thirdembodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a heating element according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting example operations for thermal formingan object in accordance with a first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting example operations for thermal formingan object in accordance in accordance with a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an electronic computing device according to anexample embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems forthermal forming an object by selectively heating a material to bedisposed over or into a mold.

In one embodiment, a method for thermal forming an object is provided.The method can include providing a mold operatively coupled to a vacuumchamber. A material (e.g., plastic, polymer sheet, toys, etc.) may thenbe inserted into a heating area and heated using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of thematerial. By independent control of the .heat sources heating differentareas, heating of the material can be improved or better tailored, e.g.,so as to ensure better or more even distribution of heat across theentire material. The heated material may be disposed over or into atleast a portion of the mold by, for example, creating a vacuum in thevacuum chamber.

In another embodiment, a system for thermal forming an object isprovided. The system includes a movable element operable to insert amaterial into a heating area. For example, the movable element mayinclude rollers that transport the material through the heating area andto and through other elements of the system. The system also includes aheating unit operable to heat the material using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of thematerial when the material is located in the heating area. The systemmay also include a controller electronically coupled to the heat sourcesfor controlling an output of the heat sources. The system may furtherinclude an object forming element, operatively coupled to a mold,positioned to receive the heated material, and configured to dispose theheated material over or into at least a portion of the mold. In oneembodiment, the object forming element includes a top chamber and abottom chamber that may engage to form a vacuum chamber.

In yet another embodiment, a heating element is provided for heating amaterial used to form an object in a thermal forming process. Theheating element includes a plurality of independently controllable heatsources operable to heat different portions of the material. The heatsources may include, for example, carbon emitters. The heating elementalso includes at least one temperature sensor for monitoring atemperature of one or more portions of the material. The temperaturesensor may include, for example, an infrared temperature sensor disposedon a side of the material opposite a side which the heat sources aredisposed. The heating element may also include a control deviceelectrically coupled to the heat sources and the temperature sensor forcontrolling the heat sources based on the monitored temperature. Bymonitoring the temperature and controlling the heat sources based on themonitored temperature, heating of the material can be narrowly tailoredso as to ensure an even distribution of heat across select, desiredportions of the material.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for thermal forming an object according to anembodiment of the present invention. System 100 includes a material 10to be formed into an object, a movable element 12 for moving material10, and a supporting member 14 for physically supporting variouselements of the system 100. System 100 also includes a heating element20 for selectively heating material 10. Heating element 20 includes aheating unit 22 for heating material 10, and a temperature sensor 24 formonitoring a temperature of material 10. System 100 further includes anobject forming element 30 for disposing the heated material 10 over orinto at least a portion of a mold 32. Object forming element 30 includesa top chamber 34, a bottom chamber 36 and a mold carrier 38, and causesdeformed portions 39 to be formed in material 10. System 100 alsoincludes an extracting element 40 for extracting an object 42 frommaterial 10. Extracting element 40 includes a trimmer 44 and a slide 46.

Each of these elements and their functionality will now be discussed infurther detail. Material 10 is any suitable material for thermal formingan object; that is, material 10 is any material that becomes malleablein response to a heat treatment. Material 10 may be, for example,elastomeric polymeric material, such as Tru-Train (e.g., 0.03 inch)thermal forming dental material (Tru-Train Plastics, Rochester, Minn.).Material 10 may be provided in a continuous sheet that is sourced from aspool, roll, or the like (not shown), or may be provided in pre-cutportions, where the pre-cut portions are size to fit, for example,object forming element 30. Material 10 may have any suitable shape(e.g., rectangular, square, circular, oval) and thickness (e.g., 0.01inch, 0.03 inch, 0.05 inch, in the range of 0.01 inch to 0.05 inch; 0.1inch, 0.12 inch, 0.14 inch, in the range of 0.1 inch to 0.14 inch, orless than 0.1 inch, in the range of 0.05 inch to 0.1 inch, or greaterthan 0.14 inch). Material 10 can have a substantially uniform thicknessacross a portion of material 10 and/or a varying thickness across aportion of material 10.

Movable element 12 is any suitable system or device operable to insertmaterial 10 into a heating area 18. Movable element 12 may also beoperable to insert material 10 into other portions of system 100, suchas object forming element 30 and extracting element 40. In oneembodiment, moveable element 12 may include one or more rotatable spoolsor rolls. Material 10 may contact the rotatable spools, and be caused tomove in response to rotation of the rotatable spools. One spool may bearranged for receiving material 10 prior to material 10 entering heatingarea 18, and another spool may be arranged for receiving material 10after heating and cutting. Material 10 may be tensed between the spoolsin operation such that, at least in operation, material 10 issubstantially planar between the spools. By the arrangement and rotationof the spools, material 10 may be fed into and through each of heatingelement 20, object forming element 30, and extracting element 40.

In another embodiment, movable element 12 may include indexing chains(not shown) that use pins, spikes, or other engaging features thatpierce and transport material 10. The indexing chains may extend betweenthe various elements of system 100. Similar to the embodiment discussedabove, the indexing chains may be operable to feed material 10 into andthrough each of heating element 20, object forming element 30, andextracting element 40. In yet another embodiment, movable element 12 mayinclude separate portions for inserting material 10 into one or more ofheating element 20, object forming element 30, and extracting element40. For example, material 10 may be precut, and a portion of movableelement 12 may operate to dispose the precut portion of material 10 intoheating area 18. The same or a different portion of movable element 12may then operate to transfer the heated precut portion of material 10from heating area 18 to object forming element 30, where a deformedportion 39 of material 10 is then formed. The same or a differentportion of movable element 12 may then operate to transfer deformedportion 39 from object forming element 30 to extracting element 40,where the deformed portion 39 may subsequently be extracted from thematerial 10.

Supporting member 14 is any suitable apparatus for physically supportingand/or positioning various elements of system 100. For example,supporting member 14 may be a solid object for directly or indirectlysupporting and positioning at least one of temperature sensor 24, bottomchamber 36, mold carrier 38, and slide 46. Supporting member 14 may alsoinclude portions (not shown) for directly or indirectly supporting andpositioning other elements of system 100, such as heating unit 22, topchamber 34, and trimmer 44.

Heating element 20 is any suitable system or device for generating aheating area 18 in which portions of material 10 may be heated. In oneembodiment, material 10 is passed through heating element 20 by, e.g.,rotation of movable element 12. Material 10 may be continuously passedthrough heating element 20 or, in some embodiments, a portion ofmaterial 10 may be moved to a location proximate to heating element 20,stopped for an amount of time, and then moved to a location proximateother elements of system 100, such as object forming element 30.

Heating element 20 includes a heating unit 22 and a temperature sensor24. Heating unit 22 is any suitable system or device for directing heatto heating area 18. Heating unit 22 may include one or more heat sources22 i, or heat sources 22 i may be provided external to heating unit 22.Heat sources 22 i may be any suitable heat source. For example, heatsources 22 i may generate heat by conducting electricity through aresistor, burning gas or other flammable material, generatingelectromagnetic radiation, etc. Heating unit 22 may be stationary ormovable, such that heat may be directed to one or more portions ofheating area 18 using a single heat source 22 i. Heating element 20including heating unit 22 is further discussed with reference to FIGS.2A to 6.

Temperature sensor 24 is any suitable system or device for measuring atemperature of one or more portions of material 10 located in heatingarea 18, and may comprise one or more temperature sensing elements 24 i.In one embodiment, temperature sensing elements 24 i are non-contactsensors, in that a temperature of material 10 may be determined withoutthe sensor contacting material 10. For example, temperature sensingelements 24 i may be radiation thermometers (such as a pyrometer,infrared thermal imaging camera, line-measuring thermometer, infraredradiation thermometer, etc.), thermal imagers, radio thermometers,optical pyrometers, fiber optic temperature sensors, etc. In anotherembodiment, temperature sensing elements 24 i are contact sensors, inthat a temperature of material 10 is determined by contacting material10. For example, temperature sensing elements 24 i may be thermocouples,thermistors, liquid-in-glass thermometers, resistance temperaturedetectors, filled system thermometers, bimetallic thermometers,semiconductor temperature sensors, etc. Temperature sensing elements 24i may include any combination of the above. Heating element 20 includingtemperature sensing elements 24 i is further discussed with reference toFIGS. 2A to 6.

Object forming element 30 is any suitable system or device for disposingheated material 10 over or into at least a portion of a mold 32. Objectforming element 30 may receive a portion of material 10 after theportion has been heated by heating element 20. Object forming element 30may be operatively coupled to mold 32, and operate to dispose the heatedportion of material 10 over or into at least a portion of mold 32. Sincethe heated portion of material 10 is malleable due to the heattreatment, the heated portion of material 10 forms around the contoursof mold 32. As a result, deformed portions 39 of material 10 are formed,where deformed portions 39 are shaped to receive mold 32.

In one embodiment, object forming element 30 forms a vacuum so thatportions of material 10 are sucked to the inner and/or outer surfaces ofmold 32. In this embodiment, object forming element 30 may include topchamber 34 and bottom chamber 36. One or more molds such as mold 32 maybe supported by one or more of top chamber 34 and bottom chamber 36.Here, mold 32 is supported by bottom chamber 36. A heated portion ofmaterial 10 may be moved to a location between top chamber 34 and bottomchamber 36. Once positioned, movement of material 10 may be stopped. Atthat point, top chamber 34 and bottom chamber 36 may close towards oneanother and, together with the heated portion of material 10 locatedbetween them, form a sealed chamber. A vacuum may then be formed in thesealed chamber that removes air trapped in the sealed chamber therebycausing the portion of material 10 disposed in the chamber to be pulledover or into mold 32. In another embodiment, object forming element 30may not form a vacuum. Rather, a portion of material 10 may be pressedover mold 32.

Mold 32 is any suitable mold for forming an object. Mold 32 may be apositive or male mold (where material 10 is formed over mold 32) or maybe a negative or female mold (where material 10 is formed inside mold32). Mold 32 may be made of any suitable solid material, such as metal,silicon, glass, etc. Mold 32 may have any suitable shape. In oneembodiment, mold 32 has the shape of a person's teeth (i.e., a physicaltooth model). In other embodiments, mold 32 assumes other shapes, suchas shapes corresponding to disposable cups, containers, lids, trays,blisters, clamshells, other products for the food, medical, and generalretail industries, vehicle door and dash panels, refrigerator liners,utility vehicle beds, plastic pallets, etc.

Extracting element 40 is any suitable system or device for extracting anobject 42 from material 10. Extracting element 40 may receive deformedportions 39 of material 10 from object forming element 30, where eachdeformed portion 39 has a desired shape of object 42. Upon receiving adeformed portion 39, extracting element 40 may remove deformed portion39 from material 10, thereby providing object 42. Object 42 may be inthe shape of a desired object. In some embodiments, object 42 mayinclude residue material that may be further trimmed so as to result inthe shape of the desired object.

In one embodiment, extracting element 40 includes a trimmer 44. Trimmer44 includes cutting edges. Deformed portion 39 may be disposed proximateto the cutting edges of trimmer 44. Trimmer 44 may engage material 10,such that the cutting edges of trimmer 44 physically separate deformedportion 39 from material 10. The separated deformed portions 39constitute objects 42. In another embodiment, extracting element 40 alsoincludes a slide 46. Slide 46 may be any suitable system or device forreceiving and, in some embodiments, transporting objects 42. In oneembodiment, slide 46 is an angled member that receives object 42 andcauses object 42 to move to a desired location by force of gravity. Inother embodiments, different methods of cutting or trimming can be used,including, e.g., automated or manual trimming (or a combinationthereof), applying one or more cutting edges, laser trimming or scoring,and the like.

Object 42 may be any object having a desired shape. In one embodiment,object 42 is a patient-removable orthodontic appliance designed torestrain and/or reposition a patient's teeth from a first tootharrangement (e.g., an initial tooth arrangement) to a second tootharrangement (e.g., a planned, target, intermediate, or final tootharrangement). The appliance may be worn by a patient in order torestrain and/or reposition the patient's teeth. The appliance maycomprise a shell (e.g., a polymeric shell) or a shell portion defining aplurality of tooth-receiving cavities that are shaped to receive andapply a resilient positioning force for restraining and/or repositioningthe teeth. An appliance can fit over all teeth present in an upper orlower jaw, or less then all of the teeth. In some cases, only certainteeth received by an appliance will be repositioned by the appliancewhile other teeth can provide a base or anchor region for holding theappliance in place as it applies force against the tooth or teethtargeted for repositioning. In some cases, many or most, and even all,of the teeth will be repositioned at some point during an orthodontictreatment. Exemplary appliances, including those utilized in theInvisalign® System, are described in numerous patents and patentapplications assigned to Align Technology, Inc. including, for examplein U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,807, and 5,975,893, and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/633,715 all which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety, as well as on the company's website, which is accessibleon the World Wide Web (see, e.g., the URL “align.com”). In otherembodiments, object 42 may be other types of orthodontic appliances,such as a retainer or tracking template.

System 100 in one embodiment is a thermal forming system includingelements for heating material, forming objects in the material, andremoving the objects from the material. However, it will be appreciatedby those of ordinary skill in the art that such a system could operateequally well in a system having fewer or a greater number of componentsthan are illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, the depiction of system 100 inFIG. 1 should be taken as being illustrative in nature, and not limitingto the scope of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-4B show a simplified heating element 20 according to variousembodiments. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a simplified heatingelement 20 according to a first embodiment. Heating element 20 includesa plurality of heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, that are operable togenerate and direct heat toward material 10 such that a first portion 10a, second portion 10 b, and third portion 10 c are respectively heated,where first portion 10 a, second portion 10 b, and third portion 10 care different from one another.

Heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may be any suitable system or device forproviding heat as previously discussed. In this embodiment, heat sources22 a, 22 b, 22 c are carbon heaters. Heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c haveelongated shapes such that they extend entirely across a width W ofmaterial 10. Heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c are arranged parallel to eachother in a line corresponding to a direction of a length L of material10. Heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c are sized so that the heated portionsof material 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c constitute at least the entire amountof material 10 used to form object 42 (FIG. 1). Each of heat sources 22a, 22 b, 22 c is independently controllable so that an amount of heatdirected toward material 10 from each heat source is controllable and,as a result, the heat of each of the first portion 10 a, second portion10 b, and third portion 10 c is controllable.

In one embodiment, an output of one or more of heat sources 22 a, 22 b,22 c may be controlled. For example, a voltage applied to one or moreheat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may be increased or decreased to cause acorresponding increase or decrease in heat generated by one or more ofheat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c. In another embodiment, a direction ofheat communicated by one or more of heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may becontrolled. For example, an orientation of the heat source itself may beadjusted so as to redirect the heat generated by the heat source. Foranother example, heat directing panels associated with the heat sourcemay be adjusted so as to redirect the heat generated by the heat source.In yet another embodiment, both an output and heat direction of one ormore heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may be controlled.

Temperature sensor 24 in this embodiment includes multiple temperaturesensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c. Temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24b, 24 c may be any suitable system or device for sensing a temperatureof material 10 as previously discussed. In this embodiment, temperaturesensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c are infrared temperature sensors.Temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c are operable to sense atemperature of third portion 10 d of material 10, fourth portion 10 e ofmaterial 10, and fifth portion 10 f of material 10, respectively. Insome embodiments, the temperature sensed portions (10 d, 10 e, 10 f) ofmaterial are the same size or larger than the heated portions (10 a, 10b, 10 c) of material 10. In this embodiment, the temperature sensedportions (10 d, 10 e, 10 f) of material are smaller than the heatedportions (10 a, 10 b, 10 c) of material 10.

Temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c may be provided at anysuitable location for measuring a temperature of heated material 10 thatis to be used for forming object 42. For example, they may be providedat edges of material 10, in the middle of a width W of material 10, orat other locations along width W. Where multiple temperature sensors areprovided, they may be disposed along the length L of material 10 at anysuitable distance. In this embodiment, each temperature sensing element(24 a, 24 b, 24 c) corresponds to a heat source (22 a, 22 b, 22 c) andis located opposite a position of the corresponding heat source (22 a,22 b, 22 c).

Any suitable number of temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c maybe provided for measuring a temperature of heated material 10 that is tobe used for forming object 42. For example, a single temperature sensorcould be provided, or multiple temperature sensors could be provided. Inthis embodiment, three temperature sensors are provided, where eachtemperature sensing element (24 a, 24 b, 24 c) corresponds to a singleheat source (22 a, 22 b, 22 c).

In one embodiment, areas of material 10 for which a temperature ismeasured by a temperature sensor does not change. For example, thetemperature sensor may be stationary. In another example, areas ofmaterial 10 for which a temperature is measured by a temperature sensorare variable. For example, the temperature sensor may be coupled to andcontrollable by a motor, actuator, or the like so as to control anorientation of the temperature sensing element.

In this embodiment, heating element 20 also includes a housing 26.Housing 26 operates to at least partially house heat sources 22 a, 22 b,22 c and, in some cases, reflect heat generated by heat sources 22 a, 22b, 22 c toward material 10. Housing 26 may insulate or conduct heat, andmay be made of any suitable material for doing so such as metals,polymers, minerals, concrete, etc.

Further in this embodiment, heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c are all of thesame size, shape, and type. However, in other embodiments, one or moreof heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may have a different size, shape,and/or type. For example, heat sources 22 a, 22 c may be smaller thanheat element 22 b. Accordingly, heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may heatdifferent amounts of material 10, in heat patterns having differentshapes, and/or using different heating technology. Similarly, in thisembodiment, temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c are all of thesame size, shape, and type. However, in other embodiments, one or moreof temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c may have a differentsize, shape, and/or type. For example, temperature sensor 24 b may sensea temperature of a larger portion of material 10 than temperaturesensing elements 24 a, 24 c. Accordingly, temperature sensing elements24 a, 24 b, 24 c may sense temperature for different amounts of material10, in temperature-sensing patterns having different shapes, and/orusing different temperature sensing technology.

In operation, material 10 (or a portion of material 10) is inserted intoheating area 18 (FIG. 1). Heating area 18 in this embodiment correspondsto areas of material 10 that are heated in response to activating heatsources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c. In this embodiment, material 10 is fed intoheating area 18 such that a portion of material 10 will be heated inresponse to activating heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c. After material 10is positioned into heating area 18, the positioned material is heldstationary. This stationary position may coincide with extractingelement 40 controlling trimmer 44 to extract a previously formed object42 from material 10 (FIG. 1) . At that time, one or more of heat sources22 a, 22 b, 22 c are activated so as to heat portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 cof material 10. During heating, temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b,24 c operate to measure a temperature of different portions 10 d, 10 e,10 f of material 10. These temperature measurements are then fed back toa controller (not shown) that operates to control an output of heatsources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c. Heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c may thus beselectively controlled so that the temperatures at different areas ofmaterial 10 selectively reach a desired temperature. In one embodiment,the temperatures of portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c may be controlled tosimultaneously reach a desired temperature. In another embodiment, thetemperatures of portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c may be controlled to reach adesired temperature at different times. Once the heated portion(s) ofmaterial 10 has been heated to a desired temperature(s), the heatedportion(s) may be transported to object forming element 30 (FIG. 1) soas to deform the heated portion(s).

FIG. 2B is a side view of the simplified heating element 20 shown inFIG. 2A. From the side view it is apparent that an object portion 10 zof material is provided, where object portion 10 z is to be used forsubsequently forming object 42 (FIG. 1). Object portion 10 z may be anysuitable size and any suitable shape for subsequently forming object 42.For example, object portion 10 z may be square, rectangular, circular,oval, etc. Here, object portion 10 z is smaller than portions ofmaterial 10 that are heated by heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c. However,in some embodiments, object portion 10 z may be the same size or largerthan portions of material 10 that are heated by heat sources 22 a, 22 b,22 c. Further, according to this embodiment, object portion 10 z islarger than portions of material 10 that are temperature sensed bytemperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c. However, in someembodiments, object portion 10 z may be the same size or smaller thanportions of material 10 that are temperature sensed by temperaturesensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a simplified heating element 20according to a second embodiment. The features discussed with referenceto FIGS. 2A and 2B are equally applicable in this embodiment, with thefollowing exceptions. In this embodiment, heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 cdo not extend entirely across a width W of material 10. Rather, heatsources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c extend only partially across the width W.Further, heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c are staggered across length L.That is, heat sources 22 a, 22 c are disposed over a first half of widthW, and heat element 22 b is disposed over a second half of width Wdifferent than the first half. By one or more of their size andpositioning, heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 c are disposed so that objectportion 10 z (FIG. 3B), which is used for subsequently forming object42, may include both heated portions and non-heated portions.

In this embodiment, temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c arealso staggered. Temperature sensing elements 24 a, 24 b, 24 c arelocated such that temperature sensed portions 10 d, 10 e, 10 f ofmaterial 10 correspond to heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c. Here,temperature sensed portions 10 d, 10 e, 10 f only sense heated portionsof material 10. However, in some embodiments, one or more temperaturesensed portions 10 d, 10 e, 10 f may include non-heated portions ofmaterial 10. In some embodiments, one or more of temperature sensedportions 10 d, 10 e, 10 f may include only non-heated portions ofmaterial 10.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the simplified heating element 20 shown inFIG. 3A. From the side view it is apparent that, even when heat sources22 a, 22 b, 22 c operate to generate heated portions of material 10 withnon-heated portions remaining, object portion 10 z may extend across alength L of material including both heated and non-heated portions ofmaterial 10.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a simplified heating element 20according to a third embodiment. The features discussed with referenceto FIGS. 2A to 3B are equally applicable in this embodiment, with thefollowing exceptions. In this embodiment, the heat sources (not shown)are external and generate heat that is directed by housing 26.

Housing 26 in this embodiment includes heat directing chambers 26 a, 26b. Heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 b are defined by walls of housing26. Heat is provided from one or more external heat sources and, atleast as illustrated in FIG. 4A, enters apertures provided at a top ofheat directing chambers 26 a, 26 b. Heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 bthen operate to direct the heat toward material 10 so as to heatportions 10 a, 10 b of material 10. The heat directed by heat directingchambers 26 a, 26 b may be generated by any suitable source, aspreviously discussed.

In one embodiment, an orientation of one or more of heat directingchambers 26 a, 26 b is fixed. For example, heat directing chambers 26 a,26 b may be formed as a single unit with housing 26. In anotherembodiment, an orientation of one or more of heat directing chambers 26a, 26 b is variable. For example, heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 b maynot form a single unit with housing 26, but rather may be coupled to andcontrollable by motors, actuators, and the like.

In this embodiment, two heat chambers are provided. However, in otherembodiments, one or more heat chambers may be provided. In thisembodiment, heat chambers 26 a, 26 b are cylindrical in shape. However,heat chambers 26 a, 26 b may have any suitable shape, including shapeshaving cross-sections that are square, rectangular, trapezoidal,circular, oval, etc. Heat chambers 26 a, 26 b are all of the same sizeand shape in this embodiment. However, in other embodiments, heatchambers 26 a, 26 b may have a different size or shape. For example,heat chamber 26 a may be larger than heat chamber 26 b.

Further in this embodiment, only a single temperature sensing element 24a is provided. Accordingly, temperature sensing element 24 a is operableto measure a temperature of a single portion 10 d of material 10.Temperature sensed portion 10 d in this embodiment fully encompasses theheated portions 10 a, 10 b of material 10. However, in otherembodiments, temperature sensed portion 10 d may only encompass aportion of one or more of heated portions 10 a, 10 b, or none of heatedportions 10 a, 10 b.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the simplified heating element 20 shown inFIG. 4A. From the side view it is apparent that a single temperaturesensing element 24 a is operable to sense the temperature of a portionof material 10 including object portion 10 z. It is further apparentthat the portions of material 10 heated by heat directed through heatdirecting chambers 26 a, 26 b may not overlap along the length L ofmaterial 10. However, in other embodiments, such portions may partiallyor fully overlap with one another.

FIGS. 2A to 4B show various embodiments of a simplified heating element20. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in theart that heating element 20 could operate equally well having fewer or agreater number of components than are illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 4B.Thus, the depiction of heating element 20 in FIGS. 2A to 4B should betaken as being illustrative in nature, and not limiting to the scope ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C show heated portions of material 10 according to variousembodiments. FIG. 5A shows heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c of material10 according to a first embodiment. In this embodiment, heated portions10 a, 10 b, 10 c may correspond to those generated by heat sources 22 a,22 b, 22 c discussed with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Material 10includes object portion 10 z, where object portion 10 z is to be usedfor subsequently forming object 42 (FIG. 1). Further, object portion 10z includes a deforming portion 10 k, where deforming portion 10 k willbe formed in or around mold 32 by object forming element 30 (FIG. 1).

In this embodiment, deforming portion 10 k is in the shape ofpatient-removable orthodontic appliance to be disposed over a patient'steeth. However, deforming portion 10 k may be any suitable shape forforming a desired object, where the object may be any suitable object aspreviously discussed.

Heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c in this embodiment collectivelyencompass the entire object portion 10 z, as well as the entiredeforming portion 10 k. Each heated portion 10 a, 10 b, 10 c alsoincludes a unique portion of deforming portion 10 k. Accordingly, a heatof different portions of deforming portion 10 k may be selectivelycontrolled. In this fashion, some portions of material 10 which requiregreater malleability for molding can be selectively heated, whereasother portions that do not require such level of malleability can alsobe selectively heated. For example, the portions of deforming portion 10k that require greater malleability can be selectively heated to agreater degree, while other portions of deforming portion 10 k that donot require a great degree of malleability can be selectively heated toa degree lower than that of the aforementioned portions. Similarly,portions of object portion 10 z that require greater malleability formolding can be selectively heated to a greater degree, while otherportions of object portion 10 z that do not require a great degree ofmalleability can be selectively heated to a degree lower than that ofthe aforementioned portions.

In some embodiments, different portions of material 10 may beselectively heated to ensure a consistent heating across some or all ofmaterial 10. For example, by feedback from temperature sensor 24,heating element 20 may be controlled so that deforming portion 10 kand/or object portion 10 z have the same temperature (FIG. 1). Further,the different portions of material 10 may be heated at different ratesor at the same rate, so as to achieve the same or differenttemperatures. In some cases, a desired temperature of one or moreportions of material 10 may be achieved without overshooting. That is,by use of temperature sensor 24, heating element 20 may be controlled sothat a desired temperature of one or more portions of material 10 isreached without a temperature of one of more portions of material 10exceeding the desired temperature (FIG. 1).

FIG. 5B shows heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c of material 10 accordingto a second embodiment. In this embodiment, heated portions 10 a, 10 b,10 c may correspond to those generated by heat sources 22 a, 22 b, 22 cdiscussed with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. The features discussed withreference to FIG. 5A are equally applicable in this embodiment, with thefollowing exceptions.

In this embodiment, heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10 c do not encompassthe entire object portion 10 z, nor do they encompass the entiredeforming portion 10 k. Rather, heated portions 10 a, 10 b encompass aportion of deforming portion 10 k, and heated portion 10 b does notencompass any portion of deforming portion 10 k, but does encompass aportion of object portion 10 z. Further, heated portions 10 a, 10 b, 10c do not overlap with one another. In this fashion, some portions ofobject portion 10 z may be heated independently of heating deformingportion 10 k.

FIG. 5C shows heated portions 10 a, 10 b of material 10 according to athird embodiment. In this embodiment, heated portions 10 a, 10 b maycorrespond to those generated by heat communicated via heat directingchambers 26 a, 26 b discussed with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. Thefeatures discussed with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B are equallyapplicable in this embodiment, with the following exceptions.

In this embodiment, heated portions 10 a, 10 b do not encompass theentire deforming portion 10 k, nor do they encompass the entire objectportion 10 z. Rather, heated portions 10 a, 10 b encompass only aportion of each of deforming portion 10 k and object portion 10 z. Inthis fashion, portions of deforming portion 10 k and object portion 10 zmay be directly heated whereas other portions may not be directlyheated.

FIGS. 5A to 5C show various embodiments for heating portions of material10. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in theart that more or fewer portions of material 10 may be heated than areillustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5C. Thus, the depiction of heated portions ofmaterial 10 in FIGS. 5A to 5C should be taken as being illustrative innature, and not limiting to the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a heating element 20 according to an embodiment. In thisembodiment, heating element 20 includes a heat source 22 a, atemperature sensing element 24 a, a machine controller 27, a heat sourcecontroller 28, and a signal conditioner 29. For each of the elementsidentified with the same number as previously used herein, the samediscussion as that previously articulated is applicable. The newlyillustrated elements and their relationship to those already presentedwill now be discussed.

Machine controller 27 is any suitable electronic computing deviceoperable to receive temperature signals from temperature sensing element24 a and communicate thermal control signals to heat source controller28. Machine controller 27 is electrically connected to temperaturesensing element 24 a via signal conditioner 29, where cables may beprovided to electrically couple machine controller 27 to signalconditioner 29 and signal conditioner 29 to temperature sensing element24 a. Machine controller 27 is electrically connected to heat source 22a via heat source controller 28, where cables may be provided toelectrically couple machine controller 27 to heat source controller 28and heat source controller 28 to heat source 22 a.

Signal conditioner 29 is any suitable electronic computing deviceoperable to perform signal conditioning on a received signal. Forexample, signal conditioner 29 may filter noise from a received signal,amplify certain bandwidths of a received signal, etc. Signal conditioner29 receives temperature signals from sensing element 24 a, where thetemperature signals indicate a temperature of material withintemperature sensed portion 10 d. After receiving the temperaturesignals, signal conditioner 29 performs signal processing on thereceived signals, and then communicates the processed temperaturesignals to machine controller 27.

In some embodiments, there is no signal conditioner 29. Rather, machinecontroller 27 directly receives temperature signals from temperaturesensing element 24 a. In other embodiments, the functionality of signalconditioner 29 is performed by machine controller 27.

After receiving the temperature signals, machine controller 27 maycontrol an output of heat source 22 a based on the received temperaturesignals and a desired temperature. Heat source 22 a may be controlled toheat portions of material 10 in any of the fashions previouslydiscussed. The desired temperature may be received or determined in avariety of ways, as further discussed with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.In controlling the output of heat source 22 a, machine controller 27 maycommunicate a thermal control signal to heat source controller 28, wherethe thermal control signal instructs heat source controller 28 toincrease or decrease an output of heat source 22 a. In some embodiments,the thermal control signal may also or alternatively instruct heatsource controller 28 to change a direction of the output of heat source22 a.

Heat source controller 28 is any suitable electronic computing deviceoperable to control an output of heat source 22 a based on a receivedthermal control signal. In one embodiment, heat source controller 28controls an output of heat source 22 a by communicating a power signalto heat source 22 a. The characteristics of the power signal varydepending on the type of technology comprising heat source 22 a. In someembodiments, the power signal may be a low voltage digital signal. Inother embodiments, the power signal may be a high voltage analog signal.In this embodiment, heat source 22 a is a carbon emitter, and the powersignal ranges from 0 to 70 VAC. Further, in this embodiment, heat sourcecontroller 28 increases a voltage of the power signal in response tothermal control signal indicating an increase in output from heat source22 a, and heat source controller 28 decreases a voltage of the powersignal in response to thermal control signal indicating a decrease inoutput from heat source 22 a.

In another embodiment, heat source controller 28 controls a direction ofheat source 22 a by communicating an adjustment signal to heat source 22a. The characteristics of the adjustment signal vary depending on thestructure of heat source 22 a. In some embodiments, the adjustmentsignal may be an analog or digital signal instructing heat source 22 ato change its orientation. In other embodiments, the adjustment signalmay be an analog or digital signal instructing a heat directing chamber26 a, 26 b to change its orientation.

In some embodiments, there is no heat source controller 28. Rather,machine controller 27 directly communicates thermal control signals toheat source 22 a. In other embodiments, the functionality of heat sourcecontroller 28 is performed by machine controller 27. Further, althoughFIG. 6 shows only a single heat source 22 a and temperature sensingelement 24 a, numerous other possibilities and variations as previouslydiscussed are also within the scope of this application.

In one embodiment, machine controller 27 is electronically coupled toother elements of system 100 discussed with reference to FIG. 1. Forexample, machine controller 27 may be electronically coupled to moveableelement 12, object forming element 30, and/or extracting element 40.Machine controller 27 may then be operable to receive information fromeach of these elements, and communicate control signals to each of theseelements for controlling an operation thereof. Further processing bymachine controller 27 is discussed with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Heating element 20 in one embodiment includes machine controller 27,heat source controller 28, and signal conditioner 29. However, it willbe appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that heatingelement 20 could operate equally well in a heating element 20 havingfewer or a greater number of components than are illustrated in FIG. 6.Thus, the depiction of heating element 20 in FIG. 6 should be taken asbeing illustrative in nature, and not limiting to the scope of thedisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 depicting example operations for thermalforming an object in accordance with a first embodiment. In operation702, a mold is provided. For example, mold 32 may be disposed in moldcarrier 38 of object forming element 30 (FIG. 1). Mold 32 may thus beoperatively coupled to object forming element 30. In some embodimentsmold 32 may be positioned into mold carrier 38 by a mold positioningdevice (not shown). For example, the mold positioning device may be arobotic arm for moving objects between locations. Accordingly, the moldpositioning device may operate to provide and remove mold 32 to and frommold carrier 38.

In operation 704, a material 10 is inserted into a heating area 18 (FIG.1). Material 10 may be inserted into heating area 18 using any suitablemeans. For example, material 10 may be inserted into heating area 18 viamovable element 12 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, a portion of material10 is inserted into heating area 18 and subsequently held stationary inheating area 18 during a subsequent heat treatment. In otherembodiments, material 10 may be continuously transported through heatingarea 18 without stoppage. In one embodiment, machine controller 27 (FIG.6) operates to control movable element 12.

In operation 706, material 10 is heated using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources 22 i (FIG. 1) that heatdifferent areas of the material. Various portions of material 10 may beheated using any of the independently controllable heat sources 22 iand/or heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 b as previously discussed. Inone embodiment, machine controller 27 operates to control independentlycontrollable heat sources 22 i and/or heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 bso as to heat a portion of material 10 located in heating area 18.

In operation 708, the heated material 10 is disposed over or into atleast a portion of the mold 32. The heated material 10 may be disposedover or into mold 32 using any suitable process as previously discussed.In one embodiment, machine controller 27 operates movable element 12 tomove the heated material 10 from heating area 18 to a location betweentop chamber 34 and bottom chamber 36 (FIG. 1). Machine controller 27 maythen control object forming element 30 to cause top chamber 34 andbottom chamber 36 to form a sealed chamber with the heated material 10located therein. Machine controller 27 may then control object formingelement 30 to create a vacuum within the sealed chamber, thereby causingportions of the heated material 10 to be formed over contours and/orinside cavities of mold 32.

It should be appreciated that the specific operations illustrated inFIG. 7 provide a particular method of thermal forming an object,according to an embodiment of the present invention. Other sequences ofoperations may also be performed according to alternative embodiments.For example, alternative embodiments of the present invention mayperform the operations outlined above in a different order. Moreover,the individual operations illustrated in FIG. 7 may include multiplesub-operations that may be performed in various sequences as appropriateto the individual operation. Furthermore, additional operations may beadded or removed depending on the particular applications. One ofordinary skill in the art would recognize and appreciate manyvariations, modifications, and alternatives. For example, one or moremovable element 12 and object forming element 30 may include their ownelectronic computing device for controlling that element. Accordingly,machine controller 27 need not control the operation of each of theseelements.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 depicting example operations for thermalforming an object in accordance in accordance with a second embodiment.In operation 802, a mold 32 (FIG. 1) is provided, similar to operation702. In operation 804, a mold identifier for identifying the mold 32 isreceived. In one embodiment, machine controller 27 (FIG. 6) receives themold identifier. The mold identifier may be received from any suitablesource. For example, it may be input by a user. For another example, themold identifier may be located on or in mold 32, and the mold identifiermay be read from mold 32 using any suitable technology. For example, themold identifier may be provided in an RFID chip which may be read bymachine controller 27. For another example, the mold identifier may beread using a bar code scanner electronically coupled to or included inmachine controller 27.

In one embodiment, machine controller 27 also or alternatively receivesa material identifier for identifying material 10. The materialidentifier may be received from any suitable source. For example, it maybe input by a user. For another example, the material identifier may belocated on or in material 10, and the material identifier may be readfrom material 10 using any suitable technology. For example, thematerial identifier may be provided in an RFID chip which may be read bymachine controller 27. For another example, the material identifier maybe read using a bar code scanner electronically coupled to machinecontroller 27.

In operation 806, mold process information is determined based on themold identifier. In some embodiments, the mold process information mayalso or alternatively be determined based on the material identifier.Mold process information may include any suitable information forforming object 42 (FIG. 1). For example, mold process information mayinclude control information for controlling one or more of the elementsof system 100. In one embodiment, mold process information includesheating information, such as a desired heating temperature at variouslocations of material 10, a desired heating time at various locations ofmaterial 10, a maximum cooling period between heating material 10 anddisposing the heated material over or into mold 32, a maximum heatingtemperature for any portion of material 10, etc. Machine controller 27may use this information to subsequently control the various elements,such as movable element 12, heating element 20, etc. of system 100 (FIG.1). In one embodiment, mold process information for various differentmolds 32 is pre-stored in machine controller 27 and associated with moldidentifiers and/or material identifiers, so that machine controller 27may subsequently determine or read such information in response toreceiving the mold identifier and/or material identifier.

In operation 808, a material 10 is inserted into a heating area 18 (FIG.1), similar to operation 704. In operation 809, a portion of material 10is heat treated by heating element 30 (FIG. 1). The heat treatment ofoperation 809 includes one or more operations. In one embodiment,operation 809 includes operations 810, 812, and 814.

In operation 810, the material 10 is heated using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources 22 i (FIG. 1) that heatdifferent areas of the material 10, similar to operation 706. Inoperation 812, a temperature of the material 10 is monitored duringheating. Machine controller 27 may monitor the temperature of thematerial 10 using temperature sensor 24 (FIG. 1). Temperatures ofportions of the material 10 may be monitored in accordance with any ofthe previously discussed embodiments.

In operation 814, the heat sources 22 i are controlled based on themonitored temperature. Machine controller 27 may control an output oroperation of heat sources 22 i and/or heat directing chambers 26 a, 26 bbased on the temperature monitored using temperature sensor 24. In oneembodiment, the heat sources 22 i and/or heat directing chambers 26 a,26 b may be controlled so that the temperatures at different areas ofthe material 10 selectively reach the desired temperature. A temperatureat different areas of material 10 may be selectively controlled inresponse to independently monitoring a temperature at different areas ofmaterial 10.

The desired temperature may be determined in any suitable fashion. Forexample, a user may input the desired temperature into machinecontroller 27. For another example, the desired temperature may beincluded in the mold process information and thus obtained using a moldidentifier associated with mold 32 and/or a material identifierassociated with material 10. In one embodiment, the desired temperatureis reached without overshooting. That is, by use of temperature sensor24, heating sources 22 i and/or directing chambers 26 a, 26 b may becontrolled so that the desired temperature of one or more portions ofmaterial 10 is reached without a temperature of one of more portions ofmaterial 10 exceeding the desired temperature.

In operation 816, a quality of the heated material 10 is checked bycomparing the temperature in each of the different areas to a desiredtemperature. The quality of the heated material 10 may be determinedbased on differences between a measured and desired temperature. Forexample, if the measured temperature exceeds the desired and/or maximumtemperature, the quality of the material 10 may be determined to beunacceptable. For another example, if the measured temperaturesignificantly exceeds the desired and/or maximum temperature, thequality of the material 10 may be determined to be unacceptable.

In some embodiments, an amount of time at which the temperaturedifference exists may also be taken into consideration. For example, ifthe measured temperature exceeds the desired and/or maximum temperaturefor less than a set time, the quality of the material 10 may bedetermined to be acceptable. On the other hand, if the measuredtemperature exceeds the desired and/or maximum temperature for an amountof time equal to or greater than a set time, the quality of the material10 may be determined to be unacceptable. In one embodiment, machinecontroller 27 may make such determinations based on temperature signalsreceived from temperature sensor 24 and mold process information. Insome embodiments, operation 816 may be performed as part of operation809.

In operation 818, the heated material 10 is disposed over or into atleast a portion of the mold 32, similar to operation 708. In operation820, the heated material 10 is displaced from the mold 32. Any suitabletechnique for displacing the heated material 10 from the mold afterthermal forming the heated material 10 may be used. For example, thedeformed, heated material 10 may be air-ejected from mold 32, strippedoff of mold 32 using a stripper plate, etc. As a result of displacingthe heated material 10 from the mold 32, deformed portions 39 will beformed in the material 10.

In operation 822, the displaced material 10 is trimmed so as to form anobject 42. The displaced material 10 (i.e., deformed portions 39) may betrimmed by trimmer 44 (FIG. 1). Any of the previously discussedtechniques for trimming may be used. For example, trimmer 44 may engagematerial 10 such that cutting edges of trimmer 44 physically separatedeformed portion 39 from material 10. As a result of trimming, aperturesmay be formed in material 10.

It should be appreciated that the specific operations illustrated inFIG. 8 provide a particular method of thermal forming an object,according to an embodiment of the present invention. Other sequences ofoperations may also be performed according to alternative embodiments.For example, alternative embodiments of the present invention mayperform the operations outlined above in a different order. Moreover,the individual operations illustrated in FIG. 8 may include multiplesub-operations that may be performed in various sequences as appropriateto the individual operation. Furthermore, additional operations may beadded or removed depending on the particular applications. One ofordinary skill in the art would recognize and appreciate manyvariations, modifications, and alternatives.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an electronic computing device 900 according toan example embodiment. The various elements in the previously describedsystem diagrams (e.g., machine controller 27, heat element controller28, and/or signal conditioner 29) may use any suitable number ofsubsystems in the computing device to facilitate the functions describedherein. Examples of such subsystems or components are shown in FIG. 9.The subsystems shown in FIG. 9 are interconnected via a system bus 910.Additional subsystems such as a printer 920, keyboard 930, fixed disk940 (or other memory comprising tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media), monitor 950, which is coupled to displayadapter 955, and others are shown. Peripherals and input/output (I/O)devices (not shown), which couple to I/O controller 960, can beconnected to the computer system by any number of means known in theart, such as serial port 965. For example, serial port 965 or externalinterface 970 can be used to connect the computing device to a wide areanetwork such as the Internet, a mouse input device, or a scanner. Theinterconnection via system bus allows the central processor 980 tocommunicate with each subsystem and to control the execution ofinstructions from system memory 990 or the fixed disk 940, as well asthe exchange of information between subsystems. The system memory 990and/or the fixed disk 940 may embody a tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable medium.

The software components or functions described in this application maybe implemented as software code to be executed by one or more processorsusing any suitable computer language such as, for example, Java, C++ orPerl using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. Thesoftware code may be stored as a series of instructions, or commands ona tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such asa hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM.Any such computer-readable medium may also reside on or within a singlecomputational apparatus, and may be present on or within differentcomputational apparatuses within a system or network.

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the form ofcontrol logic in software or hardware or a combination of both. Thecontrol logic may be stored in an information storage medium as aplurality of instructions adapted to direct an information processingdevice to perform a set of operations disclosed in embodiments of thepresent invention. Based on the disclosure and teachings providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other waysand/or methods to implement the present invention.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing embodiments (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scopeunless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should beconstrued as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to thepractice of at least one embodiment.

Preferred embodiments are described herein, including the best modeknown to the inventors. Variations of those preferred embodiments maybecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading theforegoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employsuch variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for embodimentsto be constructed otherwise than as specifically described herein.Accordingly, suitable embodiments include all modifications andequivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended heretoas permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of theabove-described elements in all possible variations thereof iscontemplated as being incorporated into some suitable embodiment unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not withreference to the above description, but instead should be determinedwith reference to the pending claims along with their full scope orequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for thermal forming an object,comprising: providing a mold; receiving a mold identifier identifyingthe mold; determining mold process information for forming the objectbased on the mold identifier, the mold process information comprisingmaterial information and heating information; inserting a material intoa heating area, the material having a geometry selected based on thematerial information; heating the material using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of thematerial, wherein the heat sources are controlled based on the heatinginformation; and disposing the heated material over or into at least aportion of the mold.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingmonitoring a temperature of the material during heating.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein heating the material includes controlling the heatsources based on the monitored temperature so that the temperatures atthe different areas of the material selectively reach a desiredtemperature.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the desired temperatureis reached without overshooting.
 5. The method of claim 2, whereinmonitoring a temperature of the material during heating includesindependently monitoring the different areas of the material.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: comparing the temperature in eachof the different areas of the material to a desired temperature.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: displacing the heated materialfrom the mold; and trimming the displaced material so as to form anorthodontic appliance.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mold is aphysical tooth model.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein a heat directionof one or more of the heat sources is changed based on the heatinginformation.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mold identifier isread from the mold.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the moldidentifier is read from an RFID chip.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinthe mold identifier is read using a bar code scanner.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving a material identifier identifyingthe material, wherein said determining mold process information isfurther based on the material identifier.
 14. A method for thermalforming an object, comprising: providing a mold; determining moldprocess information for forming the object based on a mold identifierassociated with the mold, the mold process information comprisingmaterial information and heating information; inserting a material intoa heating area, the material having a geometry selected based on thematerial information; heating the material using a plurality ofindependently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of thematerial, wherein an output and heat direction of one or more of theheat sources is controlled based on the heating information; anddisposing the heated material over or into at least a portion of themold.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein a heat direction of one ormore of the heat sources is changed based on the heating information.16. The method of claim 14, further comprising monitoring a temperatureof the material during heating.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinheating the material includes controlling the heat sources based on themonitored temperature so that the temperatures at the different areas ofthe material selectively reach a desired temperature.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein monitoring a temperature of the material duringheating includes independently monitoring the different areas of thematerial.
 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising comparing thetemperature in each of the different areas of the material to a desiredtemperature.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometry comprises ashape or a thickness of the material.
 21. The method of claim 14,wherein the geometry comprises a shape or a thickness of the material.